It was beautiful yesterday. Until it turned cold again. I spotted a few patches of daffodils just ready to open along Broadway and 212th Street. And out my back window a couple of early branches of forsythia have sprung some bright green leaves.
The Farmers' Almanac predicts it will be a unseasonably chilly spring followed by record-breaking heat come July. Though the cardinals and blue jays keep me company each morning, there's not a robin to be found. The ground is still too hard for them to find any worms. Does this all mean we'll have to wait even longer for fresh berries and rhubarb, apricots and peaches, nectarines and plums?
For my family, it is thanks to our good friend Beverly that our Spring wait is so sweet and resplendent of what's to come. Last summer, as in every summer I've known Bev, waiting until each fruit is at its peak, Bev makes an incredible assortment of jams, jellies and syrups. She knows her stuff and has the astute patience to wait until just the right moment to nab those fruits and turn them into delightful concoctions to savor. Her blackberry jam can bring me directly to summer days picking berries along the trails in Block Island.
The Farmers' Almanac predicts it will be a unseasonably chilly spring followed by record-breaking heat come July. Though the cardinals and blue jays keep me company each morning, there's not a robin to be found. The ground is still too hard for them to find any worms. Does this all mean we'll have to wait even longer for fresh berries and rhubarb, apricots and peaches, nectarines and plums?
For my family, it is thanks to our good friend Beverly that our Spring wait is so sweet and resplendent of what's to come. Last summer, as in every summer I've known Bev, waiting until each fruit is at its peak, Bev makes an incredible assortment of jams, jellies and syrups. She knows her stuff and has the astute patience to wait until just the right moment to nab those fruits and turn them into delightful concoctions to savor. Her blackberry jam can bring me directly to summer days picking berries along the trails in Block Island.
To make our days a little brighter, as the sun is not cooperating, I reached back into my childhood, remembering the jelly rolls my mother often kept on her pantry shelf. Using a combination of buttermilk and yogurt, I made a light yellow cake with flecks of lemon zest, then slathered it with Bev's jam, rolled it up and let it rest for just a bit. Perfect with a spot of tea while we watch Spring arrive.
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